SoEul Short Shots
by xxPeepsxx
Summary: A series of unrelated one shots with Chu GaEul and So YiJeong as main characters.
1. Memory

"Ah, it's raining."

Stretching her hand out to capture the glistening liquid jewels falling in rapid succession from the eaves of her Hanok, she took a ragged deep breath of the fresh country air which was wonderfully tinted with the scent of the trees and earth, all coaxed out of their shells by the barrage of splashing bullets thrown upon them by the unrelenting downpour.

As the large droplets hit her hand, they shattered into million pieces, like fragile glass, like a heart broken by impossible love, the image ruthlessly pulling out an unwanted memory.

She clenched her fist as a tightening sensation overcame her chest, images of his twinkling eyes and the resounding heartiness of his laughter, coming from deep within his belly, flashed through her mind, her last image of him before a deafening crack ripped through the moment and blood gushed out of his forehead like a geyser, the impact of the offensive projectile forcing his body behind, tipping his chair backward as some sadistic other being grabbed hold of the hands of time, slowing time down. In slow motion, she watched in shock and fear, the process of his death, the body of her beloved falling back, his eyes betraying bewilderment, the corners of his smile blunting only ever so slightly, and as he hit the ground, the light in his eyes went out, his last smile hauntingly etched on his face.

Her hands reached for her throat, clutching it, as she gasped desperately for the only one thing abundant around her but which she could not get enough. Her eyes watered and they turned red with grief as she doubled over in overwhelming sadness, stuck between crying and not crying. She gaped, wanting to yell, but her voice stuck in her throat. Her insides burned and rioted, with both anger and pain. She wanted to explode, but humans were not made to explode, regardless of their feelings.

She hit her chest, wanting to alleviate the anguish to no avail as her tears streamed down her cheeks like fast flowing rivers, her silent cries suddenly making the summer monsoon rain unbearably deafening.

Finally, she screamed, the terrifying roar of anguish resounding through the lonely forest, taking away a part of anyone who heard.


	2. Waiting

He sat at the edge of his bed, playing with the ends of the lapels of his suit, taking in a deep breath.

_Nervously, he brought his hands together and started wringing them, intertwining his fingers, one hand's gripping the fingers of the other, then letting go and grabbing them again. He looked up, then to the left, anticipating, but seeing nothing. He fidgeted in his seat, his heart pounding so hard he swore he could hear each and every beat. Butterflies appeared and fluttered in his stomach, a warm tension crept up his chest travelling all the way up to the base of his throat. He took a long deep breath, willing himself to stay calm, willing those jitters to go away. Slowly, he let out the breath, feeling just that slight little bit of tension going away with it. Yet, he was still far too anxious._

Sick of his restlessness, he got up and began pacing the length of the room, each hand buried in the pockets of his suit jacket, opening and closing it. Every few steps, he would look towards the door, hoping, only to be disappointed again. He sighed. He was perplexed as to why he was feeling this way. It was not as though he had never seen her in a long time. It was not as though he was not certain of her feelings for him. It was not as though she was going to do something drastic. All she was going to do was to wear a dress, even if, said dress would be the most important she would wear in her lifetime.

Then, a click captured his attention as he whirled around, quick as lighting, his heart soaring and he waited, expectantly. The door opened and a tuft of white material peeked through, and unknowingly, he held his breath. The door opened more, revealing her in the finest gown ever.

"Oppa!"

As she smiled, the brightest, enamouring smile that he'd ever seen, he gaped, lost for words.

He folded his legs and rested his head against his bed post, waiting for her. Twiddling his thumbs, he pouted slightly, periodically looking up at a wooden door, expecting her to come out any time soon. He bit the bottom of his lip and let out a puff when he didn't see her, checking his watch frequently to make sure that they were not going to be late. He frowned a little, impatient.

Then a single click sliced through the silence and immediately, he looked up. A flash of purple and a dainty foot peeked through the gap and he smiled as he got up and starting making his way to her.  
The door opened wider, revealing her full self, clothed in a purple silk gown, fitted perfectly and only for her. His heart skipped a beat, just like that time so many years ago, as he took in her beautiful self, her, who had since aged but still remained equally charming.

"Yeobo," she smiled, that same smile from long ago but now with lines that bore evidence of their journey together.

"Shall we go?" He asked as he offered her a hand. She nodded, her eyes twinkling in happiness, and took his hand. As her smaller hand slipped into his larger one, fitting perfectly, he tucked her elbow under his. Together, they walked towards the door to the ballroom.

With a hand on the doorknob, he brushed his lips against her fingers that were intertwined with his and looked at her, the same way he did in the past.

"Happy 25th anniversary darling," he whispered, his eyes full of love.

She looked back at him, replying without a word, a reply he reveled in and understood, as he turned the knob and opened the door.


	3. Drunkards

Gu JunPyo stood rooted to the spot, mouth wide open, staring straight ahead, not entirely comprehending or believing what he thought he was seeing.

_Party rock is in the house tonight  
Everybody just have a good time  
And we gonna make you lose your mind  
We just wanna see ya  
Shake that!  
Every day I' shufflin'  
Shufflin shufflin  
Shufflin shufflin_

"Shuffle!"  
"Whooo!"  
"Yeah! Shake that!"

Gu JunPyo blinked several times, his eyes darting between the two grown persons before him, both shuffling and dancing their hearts out. Music from the floor-to-ceiling speakers blasted out the addicting song, along with shouts and laughter from the two persons before the screen, waving their arms around and actually doing something that resembled a shuffle somewhat. As the music bounced off the walls,  
JunPyo changed his focus from the two attention-capturing people to the single lady seated on a sofa to his left.

Chu GaEul sighed and shook her head, looking somewhat bored and embarrassed.

"Oppan Gangnam Style!"  
"Whoop! Uh! Uh! Uh!"

GaEul did a face palm.

"Horse dance!"  
"Whoa, sunbae-nim, you have the moves!"

GaEul looked up and finally noticed Gu JunPyo. She gave small wave and a lazy smirk, her face reflecting a mixture of incredulity and resignation. JunPyo greeted her back as she pointed to twelve empty cans of beer lying haphazardly on the small table before her, indicating the source of all the crazies. JunPyo rolled his eyes and went to sit beside her.

"Hey JanDi, don't bump into me!"  
"I did not, you bumped into me!"  
"Ha! You're drunk!"  
"No, I'm not!"

The great ShinHwa heir sighed, and cupped his face in one hand, resting his arm along the back of the sofa. He heard his best friend's wife let out a small amused laugh beside him.

"GaEul-ssi, how long have they been at it?" he asked.

"Almost 2 hours now, oppa," GaEul replied in a monotone.

"2 HOURS?" JunPyo all but shouted as he whipped around to look at her to make sure she was not kidding then glared at the woman clumsily dancing before him. "Yah, this woman really!"

"Your best friend there has been at it for almost 2 and a half now," GaEul added.

"Are you serious? Wah, this SoYiJeong, AISH!"

_Areumdawo sarangseureowo  
Keurae neo hey keurae baro neo hey  
Chigeumbu-teo kal dekkaji kabol-kka  
Oppan gang-nam seutayil  
Gang-nam seutayil  
Oppan gang-nam seutayil  
Kang-nam seutayil  
Oppan gang-nam seutayil  
Eh- sexy lady  
Oppan gang-nam seutayil  
Eh- sexy lady  
O-oo-o_

"Well at least JaeKyung unni's not here. You should have seen her. She was all raving mad, singing, rapping and cursing up a storm. WooBin oppa took her home already…" GaEul lazily pointed at the two drunks now attempting a body wave. "Actually Woobin oppa was also drunk, but they were getting too noisy so I threw them both in his car with his chauffer and now they're both headed towards his home, haha."

JunPyo raised an eyebrow at GaEul.

"Both?" he repeated. "You mean you sent two drunk singles together? You sent the Monkey to the Don Juan?"

"Eh hey," GaEul scoffed. "It's not as if they haven't spent nights together before. They need a little push. If you get a wedding invitation from them sometime soon in the future, remember to thank me."

JunPyo raised his eyebrows even more.

"GaEul, are you drunk?" he asked.

"NO! I only drank one can of beer," GaEul retorted.

"Uh huh…"

_Lightweight, JunPyo thought._

"JunPyo ssi, why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm not looking at you like anything. Hey, I'm just gonna grab JanDi and go now. Can you handle that guy by yourself?" JunPyo asked, pointing a thumb at the acclaimed potter, now completely inebriated.

"YiJeong-ie? Sure," GaEul smiled. "Ah, just take that noisy best friend away."

"Ookay…" JunPyo replied, uncertain. He got up and tapped his wife on the shoulder, attaining her somewhat fuzzy attention.

"Oh! It's my husband!" JanDi giggled. "Husband!" She called out and attempted to hug him, losing her balance completely along the way.

"Yah! JanDi-baht (grasslawn), seriously?" JunPyo barked as he caught her. She let out a stream of even louder giggles.

"Oh! JunPyo yah!" YiJeong called out and smiled at his best friend cheesily. He tried to pat JunPyo's shoulder's only to end up slapping it instead.

"Yah, you crazy dog," JunPyo sniped, and slapped his hand away.

YiJeong pouted, affronted.

"Please, just go up and sleep," the multi-millionaire advised his childhood friend, while giving him a proper pat on the shoulder. "GaEul, I'm going to go first, see you."

The kindergarten teacher waved the ShinHwa heir goodbye as he lifted her best friend over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, mumbling and grumbling all the way.

GaEul turned the television off and attempted to pull her husband who was slumped over the coffee table to standing position so that she could bring him to their room.

"GaEul!" he called, in a saccharine sweet voice. He attempted to kiss her on the lips, only to miss her head completely and instead fell into her arms.

She wrapped her arms around him, and once again tried to pull him up, to no avail.

"I love you, GaEul-ie!" So YiJeong declared.

"Yes, yes, I love you too," GaEul replied absentmindedly. "So Yijeong, will you get up?"

"No!" he rebelled. He then threw himself against her, pinning her onto the soft carpet beneath them.

"Hey you fat, heavy drunkard! Awh! The smell!" GaEul protested, trying to push him off her.

"Happy birthday GaEul," he mumbled against her chest.

"Huh, you seemed to enjoy it more," GaEul scoffed.

She was answered by a soft rumble of deep heavy breaths and she sighed to no one in particular, resigned to sleeping on the ground tonight. Lovingly, she patted his head and ran her fingers through his hair. She finally pushed him off and snuggled against him as he instinctively wrapped his arms around her in the end.


	4. Daddy

A third of a quarter through its daily journey across the sky, like an overturned pot of paint, the sun spilled its warmth through tall, clear, glass windows into the nursery, bathing it in magical gold. It bounced off silky smooth, straight hair that pooled and curled like swirls of melted rich dark chocolate around a pair of shoulders and brushed against the smoothest of skin. It brought sparkles to clear bright eyes while shadows ran down the side of a nose and traced the contours of lips formed with a seemingly permanent smile.

Peaceful and calming, the room was as still as a small pond on a midsummer's afternoon, save for a mother and a child seated in the middle, enveloped in the comfort of a cushy armchair. Little ripples of life spread through the stillness every time the child was lightly petted in accordance to a rhythm of a young beating heart.

Instinctively, GaEul smoothed back a tuft of jet-black hair when it fell over a closed pair of eyes. Letting her hand run down the side of the little face, she lightly stroked the small eyebrow with her thumb. Then, unexpectedly, a jolt of pain shot through her and she winced.

"HanYoung ah, you're hurting mommy," she softly scolded her suckling baby-daughter.

Not understanding her, the young child took no heed. GaEul sighed and frowned, before taking the tiny hand that was clutching onto a button of her open shirt into her own hand. Immediately, all five tiny fingers wrapped around GaEul's thumb.

GaEul drummed her other four fingers lightly against the chubby forearm that reminded her of a fat, stuffed salami.

"Look at that strength," the young mother murmured. "Just like Daddy's."

Silently, she took in all the features of her young daughter, easily recognising those eyes that looked like a certain someone's, that oval face-shape that mirrored the love of her life's.

"Daddy's been gone for a long, long time now, hasn't he," GaEul asked wistfully as she looked towards a framed photo placed on a shelf beside the window of a man bearing a wide smile. She drank in his handsome features and a pang of longing hit her.

"I miss Daddy, don't you darling?" she sighed and kissed the top of her daughter's head. "But Daddy's far, far, away now."

A wet drop fell onto the infant's cheek and GaEul hurriedly wiped it away, surprised that she herself had unknowingly cried. Then the baby's eyes opened and she stopped suckling, as if realising that something wrong had happened. Those clear innocent eyes looked into wet adult ones, questioning.

GaEul laughed at her silliness, as she wiped her tears away.

"Well, Daddy's back," a whisper rang through the silence.

The young mother whipped around disbelieving, towards the source, instantly recognising that familiar voice.

Seeing him in the flesh again, happiness burst through from within her as her eyes gleamed and crinkles formed at their sides. She let out a huge beam and a gasp, then a laugh, as he dropped his bag and ran towards his wife and daughter, wrapping them in his huge, satisfying, long-overdue, embrace.

"YiJung!" GaEul laughed, joy radiating and lighting up her entire face.

"Daddy's back," YiJung pecked his daughter's forehead, who stared back bewildered, and lightly rubbed the tip of her nose with his forefinger.

"I'm back, Mommy," he smiled at his wife before kissing her, full and deep, on the lips and GaEul's heart shone bright and elated, even as the sun slipped beneath the hills.


	5. Farewell Formula

_"YiJeong ah, are you ok?"_

_"Mm."_

_"YiJeong ah, wanna go clubbing with me? All the hot babes will be there; woo hoo!"_

_"Sure."_

_"YiJeong ah, Beate Kuhn's holding an exhibition in Seoul!"_

_"Yeah, finally! I'm going! Hyung, a new café's just opened downtown; do you wanna hang out?"_

_If only night could last a lifetime. If day didn't exist, then he wouldn't have been left behind while everyone else continued with their lives._

_If only it had rained, then he might not have seen her tears. If the sun hadn't been so brilliant, perhaps he wouldn't have had seen that sad smile on her face._

_If only they hadn't parted near the end of summer, then perhaps he wouldn't have had to hear announcements about autumn coming when his own autumn had just left._

_All those love songs got it wrong. Breaking up in the rain was nothing compared to doing it in the sun under a clear blue sky._

Even when he had smiled, there was nothing to mask the hurt in his eyes.

Inspired by a song of the same title, Farewell Formula. Remixed and performed by Jun.K of 2PM for Immortal Songs 2. Originally performed by R. ef in 1995.

Youtube link to Jun.K's performance: watch?v=-KLIvxXHnfA


End file.
